[7.4/10] The Zeta Project, like Superman: The Animated Series before it, has a bit of a villain problem. You don’t want to go too nuts with superpowered bad guys, given Ro’s regular involvement, but it’s tough to find someone who can pose a challenge to Zeta otherwise, given his strength and infiltration abilities. Most of his challenges are moral challenges, rather than physical ones.
That’s why I liked Boyle as an antagonist here. He is smart enough to match wits with our heroes and even outsmart them, and also resourceful enough as a scientist to set a trap for them at The Hub and slap on a device that prevents Zeta from using his creds to escape. He has a strong motivation in wanting to use Zeta as a thief to pick up parts he needs for a project that he couldn’t otherwise get funding for. And he knows how to use his leverage over Zee and Ro in a way that makes him both annoying and formidable. A good foil goes a long way, and Boyle definitely qualifies.
The Hub also makes for a solid backdrop. The presence of trains, planes, and rocketships all launching out of the same space creates a nice labyrinth for our heroes to chase and be chased through. I’ll admit that I’m pretty tired of Agent West’s buffoonery being used as a plot point at this stage, but there’s enough tension-filled complications to keep things rolling. The show manages to pack enough incident into each scavenger hunt for Boyle’s necessities that the energy is always up.
I particularly like Zeta and Ro turning the tables, using Zeta’s holographic abilities to implicate rather than hide Boyle’s direction of their thievery. It’s a fun way for them to convince him to slip loose the cred-canceler, and the show has fun with the pair using it again while he’s sent to jail.
Overall, this one rises and falls on the strength of Boyle as a bad guy, and it’s nice to see TZP introduced an enemy who can challenge Zeta as well as he does.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-07-20T20:25:34Z
[7.4/10] The Zeta Project, like Superman: The Animated Series before it, has a bit of a villain problem. You don’t want to go too nuts with superpowered bad guys, given Ro’s regular involvement, but it’s tough to find someone who can pose a challenge to Zeta otherwise, given his strength and infiltration abilities. Most of his challenges are moral challenges, rather than physical ones.
That’s why I liked Boyle as an antagonist here. He is smart enough to match wits with our heroes and even outsmart them, and also resourceful enough as a scientist to set a trap for them at The Hub and slap on a device that prevents Zeta from using his creds to escape. He has a strong motivation in wanting to use Zeta as a thief to pick up parts he needs for a project that he couldn’t otherwise get funding for. And he knows how to use his leverage over Zee and Ro in a way that makes him both annoying and formidable. A good foil goes a long way, and Boyle definitely qualifies.
The Hub also makes for a solid backdrop. The presence of trains, planes, and rocketships all launching out of the same space creates a nice labyrinth for our heroes to chase and be chased through. I’ll admit that I’m pretty tired of Agent West’s buffoonery being used as a plot point at this stage, but there’s enough tension-filled complications to keep things rolling. The show manages to pack enough incident into each scavenger hunt for Boyle’s necessities that the energy is always up.
I particularly like Zeta and Ro turning the tables, using Zeta’s holographic abilities to implicate rather than hide Boyle’s direction of their thievery. It’s a fun way for them to convince him to slip loose the cred-canceler, and the show has fun with the pair using it again while he’s sent to jail.
Overall, this one rises and falls on the strength of Boyle as a bad guy, and it’s nice to see TZP introduced an enemy who can challenge Zeta as well as he does.